Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says consideration of what aircraft will replace the airline’s domestic fleet will occur once it completes its evaluation of types to operate ultra long-haul flights as part of Project Sunrise.

Currently, the airline has 67 737-800s and 28 Airbus A330-200/300s that operate on domestic and international routes. There are also eight New Zealand-registered 737-800s that are flown on trans-Tasman services by Qantas’s Jetconnect subsidiary.

The first of those 737-800s was delivered in 2002, making them 15 years old. At the other end of the scale, the newest 737-800 – Retro Roo I – arrived in the fleet in November 2014.

The 18 A330-200s and 10 A330-300s have a similar age profile, with the oldest aircraft rolling out of the Airbus final assembly line in 2003 and the most recent in 2012. Some of the A330-200s have also spent time operating in the Jetstar fleet.

Joyce told shareholders at the Qantas annual general meeting (AGM) in Melbourne on Friday the 737 fleet was still performing exceptionally well and generating good returns.

However, attention would soon turn to a replacement aircraft, with Boeing’s 737 MAX family and the Airbus A320neo (new engine option) lineup the two leading contenders.

Joyce said Qantas determining the best aircraft to replace the 737-800s was expected to occur after it completes its evaluation for its Project Sunrise challenge to Airbus and Boeing to come up with a suitable airframe to mount ultra long-haul nonstop flights from Australia’s east coast to cities such as London and New York. Service entry is planned for 2022.